How to Detox Your Body After a Season of Indulgence

The holiday season is wrapping up and our wallets and waistlines are feeling it. From office parties to “Friendsgivings” to visits with the in-laws, it seems that the past two months have been filled with nothing but eating, drinking, and more eating. Unfortunately, a lot of us have not made the healthiest choices amidst all of the holiday hustle and bustle, and our bodies are really feeling the effects of the season. Sure, one or two days of indulgence aren’t enough to cause an issue, but after repeatedly indulging in sugary and high-fat foods and alcohol, most of us are left feeling lethargic, irritable, unfocused and generally not well, and this is not how we want to start off a new year. We could all use a trip to the local juice bar franchise. Thankfully, we’re here to help you figure out how to detox your body after a season of overindulgence, so you can spring into a new year on the right foot, feeling energized, focused, and light. The tools below can be implemented at anytime, just be sure to consult a physician before changing your diet significantly. 

Start By Ditching the Caffeine

First things first, you’ve got to give up that daily latte habit. We know, it sounds crazy, especially after the craziness of the holidays, but hear us out. That daily dose of caffeine each morning isn’t doing your body any favors when it comes to ridding toxins and staying energized. Caffeine is a stimulant, and sure, you may feel a pop of energy after you get your fix, but two hours later, after the caffeine has left your bloodstream, you’re left feeling exhausted, irritable, and craving another cup. One cup of coffee turns into two, to three and so on before you have an all-out addiction. While it is a liquid, coffee is a diuretic, meaning that it can actually make you more dehydrated. Dehydration leads to water retention and bloating, lethargy, dry skin and more. These are all symptoms that we want to rid ourselves from after the holidays and caffeine is not helping our cause.

Rather than reaching for your daily cup of joe, replace it with a cup of green tea in the mornings. Green tea offers a dose of antioxidants first thing in the morning while still providing a mild dose of caffeine. Plus, you won’t feel that anxious buzz that coffee can sometimes cause.

Be aware, depending on your normal caffeine intake, you may feel withdrawal symptoms for up to a week after replacing your coffee with tea. Symptoms can include headaches, lethargy and irritability, which, while uncomfortable, will subside once your body is no longer addicted. After about a week, you’ll awaken feeling refreshed and energized, rather than desperate for a caffeine boost.

Flood Your Body With Nutrients Each Morning

Now that you’ve got your caffeine habit under control, it’s time to start incorporating some nutrients into your morning routine. Start by drinking a cold pressed juice that contains plenty of green vegetables and a serving of fruit. The fruit will add a bit of sweetness for those who aren’t used to drinking purely vegetable juice. Once you’re acclimated to the flavor, try cutting back on the fruit until you’re drinking an entirely vegetable-made cold pressed juice. Green cold pressed juice floods the body with nutrients that are readily available to the body, since they don’t have to be broken down by the digestive tract. These nutrients will help to flush out any unwanted toxins in the body so your organs can run as efficiently as possible. Make it a habit and, before you know it, you’ll be feeling lighter, more energized and less bloated each morning.

Add Some Fiber to Your Morning

Now, we’ve ditched the caffeine habit and begun flooding the body with readily-available nutrients. You’re off the an awesome start and it’s not even noon! Let’s talk about breakfast. During the holidays, your mornings may have been so hectic that breakfast wasn’t even a thought. Or perhaps you ate breakfast on-the-go in the form of a sugary muffin or carb-heavy bagel. While delicious, these breakfast options don’t set you up for success later in the day. They are quickly broken down by the body, so not even an hour later, you’re ready for a snack or some other pick-me-up.

Starting the day off with a substantial and smart breakfast that’s filled with fiber will keep you fuller longer, so you’re not raiding the snack bin at the office mid-morning. We love to pair a cold pressed juice with organic oatmeal to rev the metabolism first thing in the morning. You can even add berries for an extra antioxidant boost.

By creating a morning routine that provides nutrients, sustained energy and very little added sugar, you’re setting yourself up for success for the rest of the day. These small changes will make a huge difference in how your body responds to stress and hunger throughout the day, making it easier for you to make healthy choices and stick with a detox plan.

Get Back To Your Normal Workout Routine

Whether you were a regular at your local gym before the holidays or not, maintaining a regular workout routine is key to flushing toxins from your body after overindulging. Sweating is just one way our bodies rid themselves of toxins, and breaking a sweat each day can speed up this process, as well as rev the metabolism, build calorie-blasting muscle and calm the mind.

The secret is not in the intensity of your workouts, but rather the consistency. Making a promise to yourself to break a sweat, if only for 10 or 20 minutes each day, will do wonders not only for your body, but also for your mind. Creating routines helps calm the mind. When the mind feels anxious, we tend to medicate by overeating. A daily exercise routine will help keep you grounded and in tune with your body and your detox goals.

It doesn’t matter whether you practice yoga, Crossfit, or just go on a jog. The point is, break a sweat for at least 10 minutes each day to help your body detox after your season of indulgence.

Hit the Sauna

Alongside your newfound workout routine, hitting your gym’s sauna after your workout can help release even more built up toxins through the skin. We recommend the sauna once or twice a week to break up toxins and encourage the body to release them via sweat. The sauna can also be an excellent option while juice cleansing if you don’t want to overdo it with your normal exercise routine, but you’re still looking to break a sweat. Plus, it’s a great way to warm up during this time of the year.

Consider a Juice Cleanse

Now that you’ve made significant changes to your diet and lifestyle, including ditching the caffeine, incorporating daily exercise and enjoying a cold pressed green juice each day, you’re ready to take things to the next level. If you really want to know how to detox your body fully, from the inside out, the answer is a cold pressed juice cleanse.

A juice cleanse can be difficult for someone who has never drank cold pressed green juice before, or someone who has a significant caffeine addiction. We’ve already taken care of that with our tips above, so your body should now be ready to dive into a three-day cleanse.

A cold pressed juice cleanse involves consuming only raw cold pressed juice for three days, to allow your body’s digestive system to rest as your other organs work hard to release built up toxins from alcohol, sugary foods and other holiday indulgences.

During a juice cleanse, you may feel a drop in energy and an increase in irritability. These are normal signs that your body is working hard to clean itself out. A juice cleanse is an excellent way to really clear out toxins from deep inside the body so your organs can run at their optimal level.

After a three-day cold pressed juice cleanse, you should notice an increase in energy, clearer skin, less bloating, more regular digestion, less sugar cravings, and you may even lose a few excess pounds that you may have packed on during the holidays. Juice cleansing is an ideal tool to get back on track for the new year and start off on a healthy foot.

Stop Wondering How to Detox Your Body and Start Taking Action

With these tools, you’ve got everything you need to leave 2016 behind and start 2017 off feeling your absolute best. Plenty of us overdid it during the holidays, and that’s okay. What’s important is that we’re taking steps to better our minds and bodies and rid ourselves of toxins that pollute the body. These small changes can make a world of difference in how your body functions and how you feel each day. Start with one small change each day until you’ve completed our entire program, and you’ll be heading into the new year your very best self.